UNAM Open Access Journal University of Namibia
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Germanising Oshiwambo language: Phonological integration of German loan words into Oshiwambo
Get PDFOshiwambo, a Bantu language spoken in Northern Namibia and Southern Angola, like other languages in contact, has adopted foreign words from other languages to meet the needs of its daily life vocabularies and activities. This paper identified and described the phonological changes which the loanwords from German go through to fit into Oshiwambo speech system and established the phonological rules that account for these changes. The paper is based on the hypothesis that words borrowed from other languages, especially European languages, into Oshiwambo, are phonologically modified to fit the Oshiwambo speech system because little information is available on the phonological wambonisation of German words. The data were collected from school textbooks, daily conversations and personal vocabularies of the researcher. The loanwords were transcribed for phonological analysis. The paper investigated how Oshiwambo borrowed words from German yet the two languages differ widely in terms of phonemic inventories and phonotactics. It has become evident that there are several vowel and consonant changes in the process of borrowing. The paper contributes to the linguistic study in the area of Oshiwambo in particular and Bantu languages in general. The knowledge acquired could be utilized by the institutions of higher learning too
Yikambadara Yina Reta Ruhodi Momukunda
Get PDFMomukunda gwaKampegere mwa tungire vantu namukadendi novana vawo vatatu, Vamati vavali mukadona gumwe. Epata eli kwa kere neparu Iyedigu unene, tjaki ntudi kuna kalimina. Vanona va here kugenda sure, nye kutupu mfuto no mudwaro noyihepwa yimwe yokosure
Crtitical reflective teaching practice: enhancing teachers' consciousness of their teaching
No full textThis paper emphasises the aspects that teachers should critically focus on when reflecting on their teaching practices. The paper emerged from a case study that was conducted in three secondary schools in Rundu- northern Namibia. Critical reflective teaching involves thought and action, and it raises teachers' consciousness pertaining to what they do. Through critical reflective practice, teachers scrutinize their beliefs and knowledge of the subject and their practice, through purposeful thoughtfulness. The selection of the three participants was based on their rich practical professional knowledge and exemplary teaching practices as evidenced. Interviews focused on 'when, what, how and why these selected teachers reflected critically on their practice. Data collection and analysis were done through an interpretive approach. Interviews and document analyses were the two research tools used for data collection and triangulation. Interpretations of the findings were validated through member checking where participants verified the interpretations made of their interview respectively
The perceptions and practice of learner centred teaching in Namibia. The case of Physical Science teachers in the Omusati eucation region
No full textThis study sought to find out the practice and problems encountered by Physical Science teachers in the Omusati Education Region in Namibia. It was found that there was a discrepancy between the teachers’ perceptions of their practice of learner-centred teaching and their actual practice in the classroom. It was also found that a number of problems hindered their practice of learner centred teaching. Possible solutions to these problems were also indicated
Social media in education contexts: implicationsfor critical media literacy and ethical challenges for teachers and educational institutions in Namibia
No full textThe proliferation of social media and its use by students has raised a lot of research interest in attempts to seek ways of appropriating these new technologies for instructional and learning purposes. Critical media literacy deals with the critical analysis of various popular culture media in terms of their ideological and power implications, as well as the meaning of their messages. Although critical media literacy views new media as beneficial in their democratised nature, concerns remain about students’ ability to decipher and analyse the content that they both consume and create through social media. The two can be termed critical consumption and creation respectively. Similarly, social media poses potential ethical challenges for the teaching profession and for educational institutions. This is a qualitative research that employed the Phenomenography method where data was collected through focus group interviews. The paper sheds light on student teachers’ current social media practices. Analysing student teachers’ social media practices through the lens of critical media literacy, the paper highlights potential ethical challenges that are encountered while using social media in educational contexts. Recommendations include critical and ethically considerate approaches to using social media in educational contexts, as well as methods of incorporating the teaching critical media literacy skills in teacher education curricula
Challenges of large class teaching at the university: implications for continuos staff development activities
No full textClass size is a major concern to any educational system. At university, a class of any size (small or large) appears to be an acceptable norm. However, when classes are too large, they are considered to contribute some complex challenges related to the teaching and learning process. Whether the class is big or small, instructors are expected to teach and assess students effectively. This paper presents a general reflection on the author's personal experiences with teaching two large classes at undergraduate level at a university. The paper aims at sharing this personal account of experiences with fellow educators who may find themselves in similar situations of teaching and assessing large groups of students at any level of education. Although what constitutes a large class has been a subject of debate in literature, the author adopts from previous authors to define "a large class as one in which characteristics and conditions present themselves as inter-related and collective constraints that impede meaningful teaching and learning'~ Therefore, in the context of this paper, this meaning is adopted as a working standard that sets the parameters of the discussion of the concept of a 'large class ~ Furthermore the paper is based on the critical reflective practices and experiences as the author draws most of the evidence based on narrative practices and principles. A narrative representation of the author is found to be the most appropriate method of telling this experience
The Impact of the University of Namibia merger on staff and students: The case of Hifikepunye Pohamba campus
Get PDFThe merger of the University of Namibia (UNAM) with the four Colleges of Education in 2010 was necessitated by an Act of Parliament for tertiary institutions. This study aims to identify the challenges for staff and students to cope with the merger, in order to bring the merger process to the attention of the stakeholders. This study is important because, while history is being made, one needs to establish the human experiences of those going through these changes. It is intended to capture the merger’s impact on the academic, administrative and auxiliary staff and students. Participants responded to open-ended questionnaires and interviews designed to assess their perceptions of capabilities in their new roles, as well as the responsibilities, constraints and opportunities availed for personal and professional growth. The students who participated are the former BETD (Basic Education Teacher Diploma) students who were articulated into the B.Ed. (Bachelor of Education) Lower and Upper Primary program during the merge. Preliminary results indicated that the majority of the participants had positive experiences after joining UNAM. Challenges in the following areas were highlighted: infra-structure, unreliable communication technologies, the breadth and depth of work covered in some modules, diminishing philosophy of learner-centered education. A few participants voiced their concerns regarding some anomalies. A number of suggestions from the different stakeholders to make the merger even more effective and efficient are offered
Change management: a critical factor for successful implementation of an electronic document and records management system (EDRMS): a Namibian case study
Get PDFThe use of information and communication technologies to conduct business has seen a rise in the creation of electronic records. Electronic records have added to the challenges of managing records which has seen implementation of electronic document and records management systems (EDRMS) in an attempt to address the challenges. This paper is based on a study which investigated the implementation of an EDRMS in the public service of Namibia. The purpose of the study was to investigate the factors affecting the implementation of EDRMS in the Namibian public service with a view to establishing the critical factors. Interviews were conducted with system end-users and system administrators. The factors which were found to impact the implementation were: Management support; resource commitment; conversion of paper records to electronic format strategies; concerns for safety and security of e-records; system maintenance; and user buy-in. All these factors collectively relate to change management because addressing them rely on managing the disruption that the changes will bring as well as ensuring acceptance of the changes by the affected staff. The study established that there was a struggle in obtaining user buy-in due to a lack of interest and negative attitude towards the system resulting in its very low usage. The recommendations include records management awareness for all staff; training to equip staff with basic computer skills and use of the EDRMS, inducing ownership of the EDRMS through decentralising some aspects of EDRMS administration from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) to the various government offices, ministries and agencies (OMAs)
Parent-teacher empowerment and early years quality literacy development for lifelong learning
Get PDFChildren’s’ literacy development starts very early in life through participation and experience in the home well before school. It grows more consistently during pre-school and school years as children explore their socio-cultural world more and more. Early years represent children’s important formative stages of growth when they learn the language and the world that they will grow to establish a life-long relationship with. When children learn and develop their Mother tongue or primary language therefore, they are learning the foundation of learning itself, a process of language and meaning making that is a continuous process from birth, through infancy and childhood to adolescence an d adult life. The majority of young children in Sub-Saharan Africa are unable to readily access sustainable early literacy development and childhood care and education and their educational achievement trajectories are hugely compromised. Lack of viable parental participation in their literacy development, encouragement and support from teachers and availability of learning materials at school are some of environmental factors that make up their early social world. Meanwhile, rural homes and communities are well endowed with cultural resources and a stock of practices, knowledge, and skills relevant to the promotion of literacy development waiting to be tapped into. This paper uses analysis of data from two qualitative and one mixed methods studies in three different countries to discuss the factors that influence literacy development based on the interplay of language (learning), literacy (development) and school education out comes in low resource communities and how best they could be overcome. The paper concludes that low performance in general is a result of a combination factors that require concerted efforts at all levels if the situation can be reversed
Exploring staff involvement in an organization development intervention in a school in the Kavango region, Namibia: A case study
Get PDFThe study is to explore staff involvement in organization development (OD) intervention in one of a rural junior secondary school in Kavango region, Namibia and aimed at determining the level of participation in change initiative and probing in participants’ perception and experience of the intervention process. In a democratic country such as Namibia every citizen is expected to bring change and participating in activities to improve their own institution for example School. It is a common practice among teachers of Ntokota School that they are passive to take action in change initiative for improving working relationship and Organization. This study introduced an OD intervention to a School in order to inspire the mindset of staff to be active in change initiative for School improvement by using bottom-up approach strategy of staff participation in series of activities that would enable them to improve and eventually moving the School to the intended goal. OD concept Model of seven steps was used for intervention and it is a participant driven that encourages staff to release their potential to initiate change for improvement. The study is located within qualitative interpretive and critical paradigm. Observation and semi-structured interviews were the main data collection tools used in the study. The researcher transcribed, grouped similar data into category, coded and translated data into a real meaning and identifies themes that address the research goal. The paper reveals that the absence of staff cooperation, involvement in the decision making processes, democratic leadership were the main factors perceived retarded the staff activeness in change initiative and participation. Staff viewed OD intervention as the most significance approach to change as it offers significant understanding and conception of change and embraced new approach of fostering democracy, inclusion of staff in the decision-making process, taking a decentralized decision and enhancing cooperation among staff. The study is of potential significance to educators and educational leaders to use OD approach for change to improve human working relationship and behavior in their own organization. It may motivate researchers to pursue OD studies and conduct OD projects with any organization of their choice